What is MP3?
MP3 is a lossy audio compression format that reduces file sizes by removing audio data that is considered less perceptible to human hearing. This psychoacoustic compression allows MP3 files to be 10-12 times smaller than uncompressed audio while maintaining reasonable quality.
MP3 changed the music industry by making it practical to store and share music digitally. It enabled the iPod revolution and paved the way for music streaming services we use today.
Features
- Excellent compression (90% reduction)
- Variable and constant bitrate encoding
- ID3 metadata tags (artist, title, album)
- Universal device compatibility
- Stereo and mono support
- Sample rates from 8 kHz to 48 kHz
- Bitrates from 8 kbps to 320 kbps
- Fast encoding and decoding
Use Cases
Perfect For
- Music libraries and collections
- Portable music players
- Podcasts and audiobooks
- Streaming audio
- Background music for videos
- General audio sharing
Not Recommended For
- Professional audio production (use FLAC or WAV)
- Archival purposes (lossy compression)
- Multiple re-encodings (quality degrades)
Advantages
- Very small file sizes
- Universal compatibility
- Good quality at 192-320 kbps
- Fast encoding/decoding
- Supported by all devices and platforms
- Metadata support (ID3 tags)
- Streaming friendly
Technical Information
MP3 uses perceptual coding to remove frequencies that are masked by louder sounds or beyond human hearing range. The format supports variable bitrate (VBR) for optimal quality/size balance and constant bitrate (CBR) for streaming.
| File extension | .mp3 |
| MIME type | audio/mpeg |
| Bitrate range | 8-320 kbps |
| Sample rates | 8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 kHz |
| Channels | Mono, Stereo, Joint Stereo |
Quality Guidelines
- 320 kbps: Highest quality, near CD
- 256 kbps: Excellent quality
- 192 kbps: Good quality for most uses
- 128 kbps: Acceptable quality, small files
- Below 128 kbps: Noticeable artifacts